Inflammatory Cytokines and Sarcopenia in Iranian Adults-results from SARIR Study

Abstract

Background Some studies emphasize the effects of inflammatory cytokines in reducing muscle mass and muscle strength and performance. This study aimed to compare pro-inflammatory cytokines in sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic subjects. Method The present study used data from the "Sarcopenia and its Determinants Among Iranian Elders" (SARIR) study. Three hundred men and women aged ≥ 55 years old who lived in the 6th district of Tehran were selected using random cluster sampling. We measured all components by using standard protocols, in addition we defined sarcopenia based on former and new European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) guidelines. A fasting blood sample was taken from each participant to measure serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs- CRP), Interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Results Mean age and body mass index (BMI) of study participants were 66.7 ± 7.7 years and 27.3 ± 4.2 kg/m2, respectively. Thirty-one participants of the present study had the criteria of EWGSOP2-sarcopenia. A statistically significant difference was seen between normal and abnormal groups of muscle strength in hs-CRP (p-value =0.04). Furthermore, we did not observe a remarkable association between inflammatory biomarkers including IL-6, TNF-α and hs-CRP and risk of sarcopenia even after controlling for plausible confounders (OR: 1.15; 95% CI 0.31-4.28, OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.17-2.77 and OR 2.39; 95% CI 0.87-6.55). Conclusion We found that inflammatory biomarkers level was not considerably associated with odds of sarcopenia. Lack of correlation between inflammatory cytokines and sarcopenia could be due to participant’s age and genetic. Future studies are required to confirm these findings.